Dad laying plaque outside Hull court to protest 'contact denial' of children and parents
A man who believes the family court system is unfair is coming to Hull to protest contact denial between a parent and their child.
Andrew Teague is the founder of DADS (Dads Against Double Standards) and NAAP (National Association of Alienated Parents). On June 21, he plans to travel from his hometown of Swansea to Hull to place a plaque which he says is "in memory of fathers and mothers who take their life through contact denial".
He believes that many parents are "struggling with mental health and PTSD due to contact denial". He told Hull Live: "I founded DADS about nine years ago having gone through the family courts myself.
READ MORE:
Peter Levy shares 'traumatising' ordeal which saw him scammed out of half his life savings
Beloved former Hull FC player thought he had arthritis - then incurable disease took his life
"I started up DADS originally to help parents get through family courts and see their kids. It's difficult for parents all over the world. It's the same everywhere."
He previously marched through Hull with other members of DADS in 2017. Andrew said: "The problem we have is with coercive control, where children are used in one way or the other.
"There's nobody there to help them and most of these fellas have to litigate themselves. They don't get Legal Aid, they have to litigate in person and they have to learn as they go along what many lawyers have learned in four to five years."
Andrew said CAFCASS will advise for no contact between a child and a parent if there is an allegation of domestic abuse. "The first thing that they say is that any allegation of domestic abuse is a justified reason to stop contact," he said.
The problem with that, he claims, is that the abuse does not have to be proven.
He said: "It's on the judge's discretion, if a judge thinks that somebody has done it [domestic abuse] that's pretty much the finding against that person. Even if they find that the parent hasn't done it, then there's no backlash for the parent that made the allegations. Family court is an absolute minefield."
He added: "What happens is that one parent tries to go through mediation but they can't go through mediation if there are allegations of domestic abuse. Normally the domestic abuse allegations can counter the application to court for contact arrangement."
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.